Mobile Apps and their role in Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation plays a vital role for any business trying to thrive in today’s market. Whether it’s a means to connect with new or existing customers, cheaper marketing strategies or streamlining workflow processes, Digital Transformation is the way forward.

Incorporating mobile apps into your Digital Transformation strategy shouldn’t be optional, it should be a high priority. There are different mobile apps you can use, which will assist with different tasks, and we should consider most, if not all of them.

As shown by Statista, the amount of smartphone users in South Africa is incredibly high and expected only to grow in the coming years. With an estimated population of 59.62 million, as of mid-2020, you can see nearly half of the country are smartphone users.

Mobile Apps and Digital Transformation second image

 

With such high demand and usage, it would be bad business practice not to leverage smartphones and the multitude of applications that users utilise on them.

Why use Mobile Apps in Digital Transformation?

Seeing such statistics, it should come as no surprise that mobile apps can be useful to growing your business and assisting the Digital Transformation process. Mobile apps provide a convenient and easily accessible way to bring together and streamline different business elements.

Below are some of the key benefits that mobile apps can have:

  • Increased work efficiency
  • Reduced costs and time saving
  • Connected workforce
  • Improved customer engagement and loyalty
  • Improved data analytics and market insights
Mobile Apps and Digital Transformation
Benefits of Digital Transformation by Gengarajan PV via hakuna matata

 

Which Mobile Apps to use for your Digital Transformation

 

While there are plenty of mobile apps on the market, each of them has their pros and cons and may be useful to your business or not. We have gathered a few mobile apps, we have found useful and think can be useful to most businesses. Although we do recommend finding the right ones for you.

Vacancy: Senior Java Developer

The Basics


Industry
: IT – Software

Reports into:  IT Project Manager

Location:  JHB Area, remote

Role type:  Contract – 12 months

About the Role

The senior Java developer will design, develop, and implement Java applications to support business requirements. Follows approved life cycle methodologies, creates design documents, writes code, and performs unit and functional testing of software. Contributes to the overall architecture and standards of the group, acts as an SME, and plays a software governance role.

What you will do:

  • Work closely with business analysts to analyse and understand the business requirements and business case, in order to produce simple, cost-effective and innovative solution designs
  • Implement the designed solutions in the required development language (typically Java) in accordance with the Group standards, processes, tools, and frameworks
  • Testing the quality of produced software thoroughly through participation in code reviews, the use of static code analysis tools, creation and execution of unit tests, functional regression tests, load tests, and stress tests and evaluating the results of performance metrics collected on the software.
  • Participate in feasibility studies, proof of concepts, JAD sessions, estimation and costing sessions, evaluate and review programming methods, tools, and standards, etc.
  • Maintain the system in production and provide support in the form of query resolution and defect fixes
  • Prepare the necessary technical documentation including payload definitions, class diagrams, activity diagrams, ERDs, operational and support documentation, etc
  • Driving the skills development of team members, coaching of team members for performance and coaching on career development, recruitment, staff training, performance management, etc

Vacancy: Senior Android Developer

The Basics


Industry
:
IT – Software

Reports into:
IT Project Manager

Location:
Gauteng Area, remote

Role type:
Contract – 12 months

About the Role

Designs, develops and implements Android mobile applications to support business requirements. Follows approved life cycle methodologies, creates design documents, writes code and performs unit and functional testing of software. Contributes to the overall architecture and standards of the group, acts as an SME and plays a software governance role.

Android developers must be able to technically support and maintain the deployed applications on dev, test and production environments.

Areas of responsibility may include but not limited to:

The senior Android developer must have a competent understanding of:

  • The system development life cycle and can explain the Java developer role in each stage
  • The defined system development tools, processes and workflows
  • The distinction between business, functional and non-functional requirements and how to implement them
  • The importance of delivering high-quality source code and how to achieve it
  • The technologies used and the system’s components structure
  • The domain and business terminologies and link them back to system implementations 

Senior Android developers should be able to demonstrate that they can:

  • Develop, test, and maintain the deployed application software with high quality
  • Collaborate with product managers and designers to ensure a successful, high-quality product and great user experience
  • Analyse, maintain and enhance existing application and troubleshoot issues with efficiency.
  • Perform accurate development estimation
  • Produce technical specifications and designs. Participate in new business development through ideation, prototype development, and project estimates
  • Research new techniques, tools, and best practices and share that knowledge with the team and community
  • Maintain high standards 
  • Analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Self-starter who takes ownership is accountable, and is able to work under minimum supervision
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Can help with quality assurance and provide comments   

Within 6 months of being in the position, an Android developer should be able to demonstrate strong domain knowledge and technologies in relation to the environment that they work in.

Vacancy: Senior iOS Developer

The Basics


Industry
:
IT – Software

Reports into:
IT Project Manager

Location:
Gauteng Area, remote

Role type:
Contract – 12 months

About the Role

Designs, develops and implements iOS mobile applications to support business requirements. Follows approved life cycle methodologies, creates design documents, writes code and performs unit and functional testing of software. Contributes to the overall architecture and standards of the group, acts as an SME and plays a software governance role.

iOS developers must be able to technically support and maintain the deployed applications on dev, test and production environments.

Areas of responsibility may include but not limited to:

iOS developers must have a competent understanding of:

  • The system development life cycle and can explain the developer’s role in each stage
  • The defined system development tools, processes and workflows
  • The distinction between business, functional and non-functional requirements and how to implement them
  • The importance of delivering high-quality source code and how to achieve it
  • The technologies used and the systems components structure
  • The domain and business terminologies and link them back to system implementations

 

iOS developers should be able to demonstrate that they can:

  • Develop, test, and maintain the deployed application software with high quality
  • Collaborate with product managers and designers to ensure a successful, high-quality product and great user experience
  • Analyse, maintain and enhance existing application and troubleshoot issues with efficiency.
  • Perform accurate development estimation
  • Produce technical specifications and designs. Participate in new business development through ideation, prototype development, and project estimates
  • Research new techniques, tools, and best practices and share that knowledge with the team and community
  • Maintain high standards
  • Analytical and problem solving skills
  • Self-starter who takes ownership, is accountable, and is able to work under minimum supervision
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Within 6 months of being in the position, an iOS developer should be able to demonstrate strong domain knowledge and technologies in relation to the environment that they work in.

What is Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?

Public Key Infrastructure

What is a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?

Public key infrastructure PKI is a form of cybersecurity that helps identify people and devices that connect or interact with hardware and/or software.

PKI is meant to facilitate the secure transfer of data, particularly sensitive data, such as credit card details and personal information.

PKI utilises a public key and private key to encrypt the data, to ensure authentication, confidentiality and data integrity – where the private key is used to decrypt the data from the public key.

The most common PKI being SSL/TLS certificates used by websites.

PKI acts as a means to issue a digital certificate to authenticate the identity of people, services and devices.

The process of registration and issuance of the digital certificate is carried out by a trusted third party known as a Certificate Authority.

 

How is PKI used with digital signatures?

Digital signatures are still the subject of controversy, regarding the ability to authenticate the signer and the validity of the documents that are signed.

Using a PKI for the process of a digital signature provides an additional and secure way to validate their identity and the document itself.

 

When a user registers an account, they go through the process of providing means to validate their identity (ID Document, live selfie, etc) with the Certificate Authority.

Once their identity is proven, they are issued with a unique key. The user’s unique key will then be applied to their digital signatures, along with a server-side date and time stamp and an anti-tamper certification of the document from the Certificate Authority.

The public key will be used by the Certificate Authority or anyone else who needs to validate the authenticity of the signed document.

CONCLUSION

With an estimate of half the world currently having a presence online, it has become increasingly necessary to protect ourselves against cybercrimes.
As with normal crimes that increase when the population goes up, cybercrime is no different.
PKI is the safeguard that protects our data, information and provides secure online service delivery.

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Let us know what your thoughts are on our blogs!

Why do people hate recruiters?

What are recruiters?

Why do people hate recruiters? Let’s start the discussion with what a recruiter is…

There are different types of recruiters, which have been explained nicely in the post by Marissa Peretz on Forbes, but essentially they do the same thing. A recruiter is someone hired by a business or organisation, to assist in the hiring process, by going through CVs, interviews, and vetting processes to find the best-qualified person/s to fill job openings for the employer. You can find a more detailed breakdown of the responsibilities of a recruiter, in the post by SmartRecruiters.

While a recruiter is good for both the employer and the employee, by helping both parties through the hiring process, there, unfortunately, are recruiters that do not do their job very well, and create a bad name and image for the entire field.

Why do people hate recruiters?

Why do people hate recruiters?

The reason people hate recruiters as a whole boils down to the age-old mindset of “a person can do something right a hundred times, but they will be remembered for the one time they did it wrong”. There are many good recruiters out there who value the people they work with and value their reputation – doing the best job they possibly could.

However, some recruiters spoil the bunch, that value metrics and money above all else. There will also be recruiters who lack knowledge of the industry and are just ignorant of doing things appropriately. Recruiting is fairly easy to enter the field, and has high earning potential and incentives, this can explain the reasoning behind these shortcomings – as explained by Kenneth Ryu inhis reply on Quora.

What are the bad recruiters doing?

Bad recruiters often have the same practices they follow that give them the bad name that they have. 

The most common unethical practices they have include not screening CVs properly, which results in candidates being put up for positions they are either under or overqualified for, or not even interested in at all, ghosting candidates who do not get accepted, spamming candidates, or badgering them for intrusive personal information, and even lie or misinterpret either the candidates or the job.

All these unethical practices can lead to prolonged hiring processes, become an annoyance to candidates, and result in unhappy candidates and employers. They have put in unnecessary positions or career paths they do not want to be in. Most of these practices were explained quite thoroughly by Jeff Smith in his post on HireWell.

Conclusion

As with any field or industry, there are bad apples, with most of the problems in recruiting stem from the ignorance and incentives that this industry provides. But, do not let the bad deter you, as there are also many good recruiters out there that have your best interest at heart.

Do yourself the favour and look into recruiters you wish to use, just as you would want them to look into you when placing you into an open position. If all candidates do their homework on recruiters and make use of the good ones (of which there are many) the bad ones will eventually be filtered out completely.

Current Technological Business Trends…2021.

Technological Trends 2021 Post Image

It’s 2021 and it’s been over a year since COVID-19 changed the way we live, interact and run our businesses.
With vaccines being administered around the world, there does seem to be a light at the end of this tunnel, however, even if COVID-19 no longer plays a role in our lives, the way it has changed the world will certainly not – as said by Bernard Marr in his post on Forbes – “In many ways, Covid-19 will act as a catalyst for a whole host of changes that were already on the cards anyway, thanks to our increasingly online and digital lives.

Things will just happen more quickly now, with necessity (long acknowledged as the mother of invention) as the driving force.
And should it be the case that – as certain US presidents have predicted – Covid-19 “magically disappears” – the changes it has brought about will not, as we will have learned to do a lot of things more efficiently and safely.”

So, with the changes, we’ve all had to make and the way businesses have had to adapt, there are some technological business trends we would recommend you keep an out for.

 Artificial Intelligence and Machine   Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine learning are being used and implemented more widely and commercially, as businesses take on more and more data from existing and potential clients, digital marketing and consumer trend analyses – most of which is now done online – AI and machine learning will be able to help interpret and utilise that data to provide better customer experiences, improved service delivery and allow businesses to change and adapt with the world around them at much faster rates.

 

5 G

Mobile connectivity plays a major role in everyone’s day-to-day lives. Most people are using smart devices and spending many hours online – whether for business or pleasure. 3G made general via web-browsing viable, 4G made streaming and higher-bandwidth services possible, and it’s no surprise that 5G – with even higher bandwidth capabilities and reduced latency – will bring forth even more possibilities with advanced technologies like Virtual and Augmented reality, as explained by Nikita Duggal in her post on Technology Trends in 2021.

Cybersecurity

With everything we’ve discussed so far, it’s apparent that most (if not all) businesses are making use of digital and online means to provide their goods and/or services. With this being the case, the security of business and consumer data, as well as the integrity of systems and tools is of utmost importance. Malevolent hackers are always finding new ways to breach systems, which makes the growing field of cybersecurity just as – if not more – important as the other trends we are seeing in technology and business.

 

Digital Transformation 

Staying up-to-date, minimising costs, streamlining business processes and being able to cater to the people of the digital revolution is something all businesses need to adapt to. Eliminating paper-based methods, providing valuable analytics and saving your business time and money. That’s why digital transformation is vital to businesses looking to prosper in 2021 and the years to come. Incorporating new digital technology, like automated workflow processes, digital signatures and electronic forms, such as those offered by Conclude will help you achieve and accelerate your digital transformation journey

 

CONCLUSION

While there are many technological business trends that have emerged (forcefully) since last year, these are definitely the ones to keep your eyes on, as they pave the way for most of the other trends which will see growing success in the years to come. Make sure you evolve with the times.

 

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